(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a face mask which is particularly adapted for use by motorbike riders, drivers of All-Terrain-Vehicles and operators of other equipment driven over dusty, un-improved terrain.
Various face protectors and face masks have been invented over the years for different purposes and applications. For example, respiratory system masks are used in medical or hospital environments. Gas masks were developed over a century ago to give some degree of safety to military personnel who might potentially be exposed to chemical or toxic gasses in combat zones. Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus (SCUBA) is equipped with a specially designed watertight mask by means of which the wearer can breathe compressed air from a tank while maneuvering under water. Military fighter pilots are required to wear pressure-sealed masks connected to supplies of compressed oxygen, which is normally mixed with ambient air when the pilot inhales through the mask.
Carpenters and painters routinely use rather tight-fitting, uncomfortable masks to provide some degree of filtration during work involving sanding of wood or gypsum board building materials. These types of masks, however, clog easily. Further, they do not effectively permit the escape of exhaled air.
An important key to the effective use of the majority of masks is to ensure a tight seal around the perimeter of the mask as it presses against the wearer's face. For improving sealing characteristics the mask material in contact with the face is usually composed of a flexible material such as rubber, polyvinyl, or plastic compounds. A flexible or elastic material also allows for a fairly tight seal by persons of differing facial contours who may have occasion to use the same mask in an emergency situation.
Many mask designs also utilize various means of attaching the mask to the wearer's face, such as straps extending from each side of the mask, past the ears of the user, and fastening in some manner around the back of the wearer's head. A full face mask may also include a set of goggles or an integral visor, and fit over the entire head of the user. The present inventive concept is fabricated from materials, particularly open cell foam and filter media which have resilient qualities, permitting the mask to fit to the contour of a motorcycle helmet and snugly fit against the wearer's face without the use of straps or other attachment means.
(2) Description of the Related Art
An important feature of masks of the type disclosed in this invention is the inclusion of a filtration media to separate or cleanse harmful particles or contaminants from the ambient air as the air is inhaled by the wearer. One of the earlier generation of masks, featured in U.S. Pat. No. 2,201,315, was a compact respirator which contained a filter within the walls of the mask. The filter was interposed between two expandable walls of the mask and the mask body and the entire assembly fits over the mouth and the nose of the wearer.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,521,630 discloses a lightweight, disposable respirator face mask for filtering toxic dusts and mists. The filter material is a non-woven fibrous padding adhesively attached to a soft rubber sealing band which, in turn, fits against the face.
A protective breathing mask in U.S. Pat. No. 4,883,052 is designed to cover the mouth and nose of the wearer. The mask filter is composed of multiple layers of material; an outer layer, an inner layer, and between these two layers, a filter element comprising a particle filter and an adsorber filter. The adsorber material may be of electret material or any one of a variety of metallic compounds proven to be suitable for catalytically decomposing a wide range of noxious substances.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,758,639 is a combination of a helmet, a protective mask, and a respirator, designed to be worn by motorbike riders. The respirator, which functions most effectively when ram air is forced into it, comprises an inhalation valve and selected filter material. The respirator, as a whole, is made an integral part of the helmet. Also featured is an adjusting lever to reposition the respirator so as to enhance air flow under circumstances where the motorbike is stopped in traffic or for other purposes.
Disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,086,400 is a mask consisting of a main body and face seal which are bonded together. The face seal is composed of a soft resin (such as polyurethane resin) which is laminated onto a surface consisting of an elastic fabric made of nylon or polyester fibers. The contour of the mask is variably shaped by a flexible frame, thereby allowing the mask to fit snugly against the wearer's face. The mask is held in place by a flexible cord on each side, which cords fit around the ears of the user.
A supplied air helmet is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,197,774. Air flow is initiated or enhanced by the action of differential pressures created by the use of filter-type materials of different permeabilities. The most effective air flow sections of the helmet are measured in order to attach the most effective materials at different pre-determined “zones” of the helmet's structure. Due to the different elasticities of the varied materials, pressure drops are generated in the appropriate zone or zones, thereby contributing to a supplied air flow.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US2008/0006268 discloses a protective helmet for motorbike riders. The invention includes one or more removable filters placed behind air intake ports, the said ports built into the helmet. Each filter is further coated with a benign adsorption fluid, such as vegetable oil, which helps capture dust particles, yet does not clog the pores of the filter.